Obama Care brings health care to our family. After two years of no health insurance.
From 2011 through 2013 our family was without health insurance and healthcare. When Obama Care, also known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), rolled out on October 1, 2013, we were ready to enroll. After our enrollment we got involved in ACA marketing and education programs.
We signed up for health care on December 23, 2013, effective January 1, 2014. We were relieved to finally have family health coverage. As an example of a positive Obama Care story our family was highlighted in a Daily Herald article printed on December 31, 2013. Also our story was included in positive Obama Care stories article in the Chicago Sun-Times on January 1, 2014.
Brief history
Our story began in 2006, when my wife, Joyce, contracted the West Nile Virus. She was Cook County case #14 and had to spend one week at Northwest Community Hospital in a semi-coma state, allowing her body to fight the virus. To date there is no anti-dote for the West Nile virus. Ultimately, the body must defend itself with it's own immune system. Several who contract the virus do not live. Especially older and younger victims, whose immune system have either been compromised or not fully developed. Our situation was complicated because of Joyce's preexisting condition with her thyroid.
In 2002 Joyce had a radioactive treatment to shrink an overactive thyroid, that also left her in a weakened state. She contracted the virus in Arlington Heights, Illinois probably at Lake Arlington. There we attended a youth baseball game in July 2006 and her West Nile symptoms began about August 15, 2006. At the time I was a Chicago Public School teacher and My CPS teacher insurance covered her hospital expenses.
Casualty of Teacher Wars:
Fast forward to 2010 when I became a casualty of teacher wars, as I lost my sixth grade mathematics/science teaching position. But Joyce had a part time child care position at Northwest Community Hospital's Kids Club. Joyce was hired in 2007 and was one of the few part time employees at the Hospital with health insurance. A practice the Hospital stopped shortly after Joyce was hired in 2007. After I lost my teaching position in 2010 Joyce carried the family insurance through the Hospital.
But Joyce's supervisor, Ms. Beth Zaletel, Kids Club Director, was determined to push Joyce and three other part time employees out of their jobs because they had the exorbitant benefit of health insurance. In 2009 Ms. Beth Zaletel saw the chance to force Joyce from her position. The swine flu was making a comeback and H1N1 shots were being offered at the Hospital. Supposedly there was a mandatory Hospital policy that all employees were to take the H1N1 shots. But because of the uncertainty of the lingering effects of West Nile combined with the H1N1 injection Joyce's doctor provided an excuse not to take the shot.
However, Ms. Beth Zaletel claimed that it was an absolute unbend-able Hospital policy that every employee take the H1N1 shot. She demanded that Joyce take the H1N1 shot, despite a doctor's excuse. A policy that the hospital has since abandoned, probably due to Joyce's case. Also, strangely ironic that a hospital would override a doctors excuse. Of course Ms. Beth Zaletel was hoping that Joyce would elect to decline the H1N1 flu shot, which would give her the reason to fire Joyce. Fearing the loss of her Kids Club job and subsequent loss of family insurance, Joyce took the shot on December 10, 2009, much to Ms. Beth Zaletel's chagrin.
Joyce did get sick from the shot, but Ms. Beth Zaletel could not fire her as she was hoping to do. Joyce kept her job for about another 18 months until Northwest Community Hospital outsourced the Kids Club to Mother's Touch, LLC. and fired the entire remaining staff of the Kids Club in 2011.
Unemployed
Joyce was offered COBRA starting January 1, 2012 at $1,750/month. We had 6 months to decide whether we wanted to take the COBRA coverage. Now we were both unemployed at this point and $1,750/month was a bit steep. We researched private plans to cover our family and discovered that with Joyce's preexisting conditions of West Nile and thyroid we were unable to secure private insurance. Reluctantly on June 1, 2012 we contacted COBRA and agreed to take their insurance coverage.
We were informed by COBRA that since 5 months had already elapsed since January 1, 2012, with June premium due, COBRA wanted $10,500 (6 x $1,750/mo.) now to continue insurance coverage. Shocked at even the thought of that amount when both were unemployed, we denied and decided to self-insure. Of course we could not save enough for health care costs while covering household expenses while unemployed. So we flew without insurance for 2 years.
Our son, Scott 20, and I could receive health insurance but we were healthy and saw no reason to pay premiums for two healthy people. Rather we decided to save our premium money and help Joyce with her expenses as needed instead. But sometimes the best laid plans do not come about when you are gauging other pressing expenses.
Finally on January 1, 2014 we received health care through Obama Care or the ACA. We have a PPO Silver policy that includes all our doctors. We did qualify for premium subsidies and pay about $250/month, with an annual deductible of $10,000 for the family. This is an immense relief as the risk of medical bankruptcy is now eliminated.
Opponents of Obama Care, who always have health insurance, stand on exactly zero ground against the law. Their arguments make no sense at all or at least never offer a viable alternative beyond going back to the status quo. Are you kidding? If there is one thing we can all agree upon is that the health care status quo was completely broken. Health insurance companies had devolved into providing health care for only healthy people.
Our other son Eric, is 27 and he has also signed up through ACA. He has a PPO Silver plan, full coverage including dental for $109/month, $500 annual deductible. He was also uninsured for two years when we lost our policy. Eric incurred a hospital expense of about $2,000, that could have been much higher. That experience drove home to Eric the importance of health insurance even as an indestructible millennial.
Eric considers it completely irresponsible to not have health coverage now, given the ACA opportunity. Many of his millennial friends have decided to pay the $95 fine or 1% of their income, if they are not covered by March 31. But that fine is really for them not taking responsibility for their own health and passing their health care expenses unto the rest of us.
We signed up for health care on December 23, 2013, effective January 1, 2014. We were relieved to finally have family health coverage. As an example of a positive Obama Care story our family was highlighted in a Daily Herald article printed on December 31, 2013. Also our story was included in positive Obama Care stories article in the Chicago Sun-Times on January 1, 2014.
Brief history
Our story began in 2006, when my wife, Joyce, contracted the West Nile Virus. She was Cook County case #14 and had to spend one week at Northwest Community Hospital in a semi-coma state, allowing her body to fight the virus. To date there is no anti-dote for the West Nile virus. Ultimately, the body must defend itself with it's own immune system. Several who contract the virus do not live. Especially older and younger victims, whose immune system have either been compromised or not fully developed. Our situation was complicated because of Joyce's preexisting condition with her thyroid.
In 2002 Joyce had a radioactive treatment to shrink an overactive thyroid, that also left her in a weakened state. She contracted the virus in Arlington Heights, Illinois probably at Lake Arlington. There we attended a youth baseball game in July 2006 and her West Nile symptoms began about August 15, 2006. At the time I was a Chicago Public School teacher and My CPS teacher insurance covered her hospital expenses.
Casualty of Teacher Wars:
Fast forward to 2010 when I became a casualty of teacher wars, as I lost my sixth grade mathematics/science teaching position. But Joyce had a part time child care position at Northwest Community Hospital's Kids Club. Joyce was hired in 2007 and was one of the few part time employees at the Hospital with health insurance. A practice the Hospital stopped shortly after Joyce was hired in 2007. After I lost my teaching position in 2010 Joyce carried the family insurance through the Hospital.
But Joyce's supervisor, Ms. Beth Zaletel, Kids Club Director, was determined to push Joyce and three other part time employees out of their jobs because they had the exorbitant benefit of health insurance. In 2009 Ms. Beth Zaletel saw the chance to force Joyce from her position. The swine flu was making a comeback and H1N1 shots were being offered at the Hospital. Supposedly there was a mandatory Hospital policy that all employees were to take the H1N1 shots. But because of the uncertainty of the lingering effects of West Nile combined with the H1N1 injection Joyce's doctor provided an excuse not to take the shot.
However, Ms. Beth Zaletel claimed that it was an absolute unbend-able Hospital policy that every employee take the H1N1 shot. She demanded that Joyce take the H1N1 shot, despite a doctor's excuse. A policy that the hospital has since abandoned, probably due to Joyce's case. Also, strangely ironic that a hospital would override a doctors excuse. Of course Ms. Beth Zaletel was hoping that Joyce would elect to decline the H1N1 flu shot, which would give her the reason to fire Joyce. Fearing the loss of her Kids Club job and subsequent loss of family insurance, Joyce took the shot on December 10, 2009, much to Ms. Beth Zaletel's chagrin.
Joyce did get sick from the shot, but Ms. Beth Zaletel could not fire her as she was hoping to do. Joyce kept her job for about another 18 months until Northwest Community Hospital outsourced the Kids Club to Mother's Touch, LLC. and fired the entire remaining staff of the Kids Club in 2011.
Unemployed
Joyce was offered COBRA starting January 1, 2012 at $1,750/month. We had 6 months to decide whether we wanted to take the COBRA coverage. Now we were both unemployed at this point and $1,750/month was a bit steep. We researched private plans to cover our family and discovered that with Joyce's preexisting conditions of West Nile and thyroid we were unable to secure private insurance. Reluctantly on June 1, 2012 we contacted COBRA and agreed to take their insurance coverage.
We were informed by COBRA that since 5 months had already elapsed since January 1, 2012, with June premium due, COBRA wanted $10,500 (6 x $1,750/mo.) now to continue insurance coverage. Shocked at even the thought of that amount when both were unemployed, we denied and decided to self-insure. Of course we could not save enough for health care costs while covering household expenses while unemployed. So we flew without insurance for 2 years.
Our son, Scott 20, and I could receive health insurance but we were healthy and saw no reason to pay premiums for two healthy people. Rather we decided to save our premium money and help Joyce with her expenses as needed instead. But sometimes the best laid plans do not come about when you are gauging other pressing expenses.
Finally on January 1, 2014 we received health care through Obama Care or the ACA. We have a PPO Silver policy that includes all our doctors. We did qualify for premium subsidies and pay about $250/month, with an annual deductible of $10,000 for the family. This is an immense relief as the risk of medical bankruptcy is now eliminated.
Opponents of Obama Care, who always have health insurance, stand on exactly zero ground against the law. Their arguments make no sense at all or at least never offer a viable alternative beyond going back to the status quo. Are you kidding? If there is one thing we can all agree upon is that the health care status quo was completely broken. Health insurance companies had devolved into providing health care for only healthy people.
Our other son Eric, is 27 and he has also signed up through ACA. He has a PPO Silver plan, full coverage including dental for $109/month, $500 annual deductible. He was also uninsured for two years when we lost our policy. Eric incurred a hospital expense of about $2,000, that could have been much higher. That experience drove home to Eric the importance of health insurance even as an indestructible millennial.
Eric considers it completely irresponsible to not have health coverage now, given the ACA opportunity. Many of his millennial friends have decided to pay the $95 fine or 1% of their income, if they are not covered by March 31. But that fine is really for them not taking responsibility for their own health and passing their health care expenses unto the rest of us.